Remembering Shannon Moore

Shannon Hartwick Moore
July 22, 1969 ~ May 30, 2006

Our colleague and friend Shannon Moore has died. For any in the Gulf Coast trenches — at your computer or wading through the muck — Shannon was alongside you in some way. Her dedication was unsurpassed. Please keep Shannon and her family in your prayers.

Friday, June 30, 2006

I Forgot To Tell You...

June 3, 2006

Dearest Shannon,

Today I awoke in a sun-filled room. I'd dreamed about my trip to New Orleans to finally meet you and stay in your home. In that hazy rift between sleep and wakefulness, I did not remember you were gone.

I forgot to tell you: When we worked on Louisiana's Pet Evacuation Bill materials, you were so patient and kind. I was the stress machine. You thanked me many times for the PSAs, releases, and letter campaigns. That was your way, at least with me... I began to look forward to our conversations. Because, as women do, we'd passed from "professional" to personal. A bond had formed. I miss you Shannon and have this insane urge to call you.

I forgot to tell you: Thank you for your help when my puppy, rescued from a Missouri puppy mill, came home with a parvo-like condition, coccidia, giardia, and two little legs with missing bones. While Mandy was hospitalized on IV fluids, you called and called. You consulted your veterinarian uncle for advice. You were just there, unconditionally and completely. I wish you could see Mandy now. She is a spastic fluffball. We call her the walking "hair-do."

I forgot to tell you:We were kindred spirits, you and I, with that precarious dose of passion and pain. Needing approval, but forging ahead, obsessively so. The last time we talked at length, I wanted to share a hundred more stories. You were a comfortable ear. I could open up, as you did with me. I don't connect easily. I grieve the friendship we lost and the one that would have grown.

For you Shannon, that line between valor and sorrow was thinly etched. People who practice compassion -- not on a whim, but as their core -- waken to daily questions: Can I save just one? How many can I speak for today? The fragile heart feels too much. Sees too much. Hears too much. Empathy gives way to anger and confusion. To experience the fear and pain of infinite animals can break the soul. Without a lifeline, isolation becomes unbearable.

I can never know the depth of your despair in those final hours Shannon. Like many who knew you, I am plagued with a thousand What-Ifs. I do know the world has lost an imperfect angel. A gentle spirit who could no longer find reason for hope.

Sleep among angels, sweet Shannon. And bring your love to the animals we couldn't save...

I know you'd think this letter is a mush-fest and it would probably embarrass you. But the thing is, I forgot to tell you how much I cared.

2 Comments:

Marijo said...

...A haunting tribute...there are no existing words or expressions to describe your love and devotion to Shannon...and your soulful passion for those innocent, vulnerable creatures who are the closest things to God, that God created. God Bless You Always Brenda.

Hi Shanonn.I never knew you.from what I hear you fought for animals every day of your too short life.The love for animals brings people from all over the world together for the same reason.To say enough to the ones who abuse and torture maim and kill innocent animals.You are there now at the rainbowbridge.To give love to those who never knew what love was. The heavens rejoices as a new angel is among the manny already there.The work you have done is an inspiration for others to follow.You have inspired me to go on with my work and vocation in this life namely to speak for those who can`t speak for themselves. I thank you for that courage to speak up and say enough. I shall do the same.not because you did it,but because it is part of who I am,and what I do.regards from a greyhound advocat.

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Thursday, June 29, 2006

Shannon Moore’s work for animals leaves an imprint that transcends her death.

Although Katrina ravaged her own home and possessions, Shannon looked into the eyes of forgotten animals and saw hope. She never viewed animal storm victims as a finite problem, but rather, as part of a continuum to elevate animal welfare standards in Louisiana.

Shannon planned and carried out a People & Pets March to Louisiana’s state capitol in Baton Rouge.

She was instrumental in rallying support and awareness about SB-607, Louisiana’s Pet Evacuation Bill. Working with Kinship Circle’s Brenda Shoss, press releases, PSAs, alerts, flyers, and action campaigns were streamlined into a non-stop push to pass a bill that ensures no pets are left behind in the next disaster.

On behalf of the animals she loved, Shannon formed (SOS) Supporters of Save Our Pets, and worked tirelessly to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of hurricane stranded animals. Shannon volunteered for food/water programs to sustain displaced pets and strays in the streets. She advocated spay/neuter drives to help curb a pet overpopulation crisis worsened by roaming animals in the aftermath of last year’s storms.

Shannon realized most of the lost souls she comforted knew warm laps, familiar voices and homes before the hurricanes. She became a Stealth Volunteer to assist in reunions between pets and their people.

Horses were Shannon’s great love, and to help them she created the HayThere group to assist hay producers and consumers via an online marketplace for hay and feed goods.

One of Shannon’s great gifts was an innate ability to bring information, people, transports and supplies together. If all else failed, she'd hop into a vehicle and deliver the feed/supplies herself. It is difficult to estimatethe huge quantity of food and supplies she moved for large and small animals struggling to survive in Gulf Coast areas. She was a one-woman information clearinghouse. Any animal rescue group who needed statistics, a news story, or contact information counted on Shannon.

Shannon practiced compassion in an unassuming way that never called for recognition or accolades. She simply embraced the lives of people and animals as if they were her own. Shannon Moore was a friend, daughter, wife, and angel for animals. We’ll feel her presence in her many great achievements. Still, we will miss her everyday.

I knew of Shannon's work but did not have the opportunity to meet her. She was truly a beautiful person -- physically (her photographs on this site are stunning) and spiritually (the love she felt for other beings is all encompassing and warm). I hope her mother and husband and friends can truly feel that she lived more lovingly and did more good in her life on earth than many of us will ever achieve. God Bless

Oh, Shannon, I never got to meet you in person, but your name was all over everywhere during and months after the Katrina disaster. You worked tirelessly, create so many groups and efforts and loved your animals dearly.

You will be sorely missed. I know you are at peace now at Rainbows Bridge with all of your beloved animals. And I know you are still looking down on us and cheering us on with our continued efforts to save all of God's creatures, human and next to human, our precious animals.

I never met you Shannon, butyou were the kind of person I would have loved to work with. Your compassion for our little friends was something fantastic. I know one day I will meet you at the Rainbow Bridge with all my departed friends(4 legged)there to greet me.

Dear Shannon, I never heard your name before today, but I know you. I don't know what happened, but I want you to know that I understand. I know that overwhelming feeling, all too well, of despair, hurt and anger that so often comes with compassion. I am a rescuer and advocate, too. It is the kind of feeling that comes from within, there is no clocking in or out, nor taking a vacation. It is a drive to succeed, but more often than not the goal seems truly unattainable. I know that you needed more support; we all do. I wish that I could have offered that to you while you were still with us. Thank you for the impact that you made while you were here. You made a difference.

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Thursday, June 08, 2006

It is appropriate that the Louisiana Pet Evacuation bill, S.B. 607, has passed the state Senate unanimously without debate, as it should have. What is not appropriate is that SHANNON MOORE has died. Shannon, founder of Save our Pets and volunteer for other animal rescue groups, worked hard for the passage of this bill. She organized the rally on the Capitol steps that took place the day before the bill was first heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The picture that accompanies this story is of Shannon's dog at the rally. I remember she was so excited that a Best Friends Animal Society photographer had captured her dog at that moment.

Shannon worked on other fronts to organize support for this bill. She rallied rescue groups. She asked me and many others to help with a letter writing campaign she had started to generate support for the bill from the Judiciary Committee, the governor and the Finance Committee. Many of you may have used her sample letter posted on this site to write your own appeals for the Louisiana senators and governor to support this bill.

We will greatly miss her voice as this bill now goes to the Louisiana state House Judiciary Committee.

You may not know that Shannon was herself a Katrina survivor. She lost all of her possessions in Katrina. Though she had lost her home, she rescued and found homes for numerous stranded or abandoned animals in the aftermath of Katrina. At the time of her death Shannon and her organization were caring for literally hundreds of Katrina kittens. Shannon is another of the heroes, the unsung heroes, of Katrina.

As for the bill, for Shannon, for the animals, please write the House Judiciary members below and urge their support. Another hurricane season has begun. There is no more time.

I never knew Shannon but am touched by her good works and love of animals. Eventhough I live far away from new orleans, I try to help in small ways to make the lives of those helping animals a little easier...the world is a sadder place now that Shannon is gone.

I didn’t know Shannon but met so many like her: at Gonzales, in New Orleans in early September, driving vans and rental cars with “Animal Rescue” painted in shoe polish at the side and later, at Magazine Street with ARNO. I met so many dedicated people during Katrina – mostly those involved with animals but of course many others who came simply to help the many residents who remained heroic and brave as their world crumbled around them. People like Shannon (and Brenda) and Anita (No Animal Left Behind) and Susan in Connecticut (who continues to try and reunite owners and pets), and Chris McLaughlin and so many others continue to awe me with their dedication and their willingness to face the sad stories and the heartbreak. I am no longer (at least right now) strong enough to do that and by admitting that I see a glimmer of where Shannon went to. Brenda’s comment that:

This comment says it all and in a way much better than I can say it….those of you who are still so deeply involved take a breath, listen to your heart, understand all the good you have done – not just for animals but for humans, and, for awhile, rest. Those of you like me, who are still trying to sort things out, get back in the game when you can. I know I will soon.

I did not know Shannon. I have only learned of her through Brenda's beautiful words. But I do know what it is like to feel over-whelmed by feeling the pain of all the animals who are suffering. Being able to feel the pain of others is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes I wish I were dead so I wouldn't have to feel it so strongly. Or I want to stop reading all the emails, each and every one a revelation because I thought I'd heard it all, I thought I'd heard the worst possible thing that could be done to animals, and then I find out, no there are worse things I must know about. It's too much sometimes, it feels so hopeless, but how can you turn away once you know? I do wish I could turn it off though, that somehow the world will wake up and it will stop.

I do not know why Shannon left this earth, but I can only imagine her pain and wish she were still here to continue her amazing work for animals. While she was helping so many others, was she sacrificing herself? She must have been. I do know I am in awe of what she accomplished. She has left an inspiring legacy.

Every year on June 20 I make a donation to help cats in memory of my beloved cat Spook and this year my donation will be to Alley Cat Allies, as requested, in honor of Shannon, as well as Spook.

I am sorry for all of you who knew and loved Shannon, for the pain you are feeling now. Don't give up...

In the wake of katrina, Shannon helped countless times at the Winn Dixie. When weather got cold, she turned her sun room into a cattery for Grassroots, caring for 15 cats. She also brought heaters and other supplies to Richard that I would buy over the phone via Los Angeles to keep the operation running. Shannon & Robert were both always there whenever I needed something for the animals.She was an extremely passionate and sympathetic person. She gave until she could give no more. She is in a better place now where there is no more suffering, surrounded by her beloved friends.I will miss you, Shannon.Laurie

I like Billie's analogy. I was thinking of a supernova, burning bright at the end of its life, but I like the comet analogy better; a comet makes a bright light but goes on to shine somewhere else. ...

Brenda's open letter had reached me a few days ago and, of course, it hit the mark and consoled me that Shannon was "seen" and loved.

Shannon gave her all, but giving her all was her style. Do not weep, please, that she cared deeply. Rejoice.

I wish there could be a national day of unmourning. Everyone involved with Katrina, Rita and animal advocacy would take the day off and go to the beach. Take the dog. Play.

You just cannot rescue the animals if you do not regularly rescue yourself.

But then, please, turn your focus to the animals. Do NOT forget Shannon. Pray for her. Carry her in your heart. But put your focus on the LIVES that need you, including your own.

I heard that the La. Pet Evacuation Bill may die. Now THAT is a life worth saving. Can anyone help?!

Unlike most days at the Rainbow Bridge, this day dawned cold and gray.

All the recent arrivals at the Bridge did not know what to think, as they had never seen such a day. But the animals who had been waiting longer for their beloved people to accompany them across the Bridge knew what was happening and they began to gather at the pathway leading to the Bridge.

Soon an elderly dog came into view, head hung low and tail dragging.

He approached slowly, and though he showed no sign of injury or illness, he was in great emotional pain. Unlike the animals gathered along the pathway, he had not been restored to youth and vigor upon arriving at the Bridge. He felt out of place and wanted only to cross over and find happiness.

But as he approached the Bridge, his way was barred by an angel, who apologized and explained that the tired and broken-spirited old dog could not cross over. Only those animals accompanied by their people were allowed to cross the Bridge. Having nobody, and with nowhere else to turn, the dog trudged into the field in front of the Bridge.

There he found others like himself, elderly or infirm, sad and discouraged. Unlike the other animals waiting to cross the Bridge, these animals were not running or playing. They simply were lying in the grass, staring forlornly at the pathway across the Rainbow Bridge. The old dog took his place among them, watching the pathway and waiting, yet not knowing what he was actually waiting for.

One of the newer dogs at the Bridge asked a cat who had been there longer to explain what was happening. The cat replied, "Those poor animals were abandoned, turned away, or left at rescue places, but never found a home on earth. They all passed on with only the love of a rescuer to comfort them. Because they had no people to love them, they have nobody to escort them across the Rainbow Bridge."

The dog asked the cat, "So what will happen to those animals?"

Before the cat could answer, the clouds began to part and the cold turned to bright sunshine. The cat replied, "Watch, and you will see."

In the distance was a single person, and as she approached the Bridge the old, infirm, and sad animals in the field were bathed in a golden light. They were all at once made young and healthy, and stood to see what their fate would be. The animals who had previously gathered at the pathway bowed their heads as the person approached.

At each bowed head, the person offered a scratch or hug. One by one, the now youthful and healthy animals from the field fell into line behind the person. Together, they walked across the Rainbow Bridge to a future of happiness and unquestioned love. The dog asked the cat, "What just happened?"

The cat responded, "That was a rescuer."

The animals gathered along the pathway bowing in respect were those who had found their forever homes because of rescuers. They will cross over when their people arrive at the Bridge. The arrival here of a rescuer is a great and solemn event, and as a tribute they are permitted to perform one final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort all those poor animals they couldn't place on earth across the Rainbow Bridge and into Heaven."

The dog thought for a moment, then said, "I like rescuers." The cat smiled and replied, "So does heaven, my friend. So does heaven."

You will be pleased to know today is the day after Gov Blanco signed YOUR BILL into effect. Those many sleepless nights, the constant writing, the organized marches, the phone calls, the crying, the joy.....was never in vain. Animals are smiling today because of you. And families are rejoicing. Because never again will either be put in a position to be seperated or forgotten. The Animal Kingdom is now protected....and you, my Dear, are their reigning Queen. We love you, Shannon.

Donate Pet Crates In Memory of Shannon Moore
Send a pet crate, in memory of Shannon, to:
Louisiana Dept. of Agriculture & Forestry
100 North Ardenwood
Baton Rouge, LA 70805
Attention: Hilary Stephenson
Please attach a note saying it is in memory of Shannon Moore and include your name and contact info (email, snail mail). Keep a copy for yourself too, until we figure out how to keep records on this. Then we can let her
Family know that her Spirit is continuing to do her good works.
MORE INFORMATION: JudyMcD44@aol.com